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VĀLMĪKI RĀMĀYAṆA · CHAPTER 62
सुन्दरकाण्डम् · सर्गः 62
The disturbance in Madhuvana intensifies. Injured while trying to protect the grove, Dadhimukha goes to Sugriva with his guards to report what has happened.
An edition-specific reading with original English meanings. Source & reading notes
SCENE 01 · VERSES 1–38
Dadhimukha turns to the king after his attempts to restore order fail.
तानुवाच हरिश्रेष्ठो हनूमान् वानरर्षभः ।
tānuvāca hariśreṣṭho hanūmān vānararṣabhaḥ |
Hanuman, foremost among the vanaras, told them,
अव्यग्रमनसो यूयं मधु सेवत वानराः ॥
avyagramanaso yūyaṃ madhu sevata vānarāḥ ||
'Vanaras, enjoy the honey without anxiety.
अहमावर्जयिष्यामि युष्माकं परिपन्थिनः ।
ahamāvarjayiṣyāmi yuṣmākaṃ paripanthinaḥ |
I will deal with those who obstruct you.'
श्रुत्वा हनूमतो वाक्यं हरीणां प्रवरोऽङ्गदः ॥
śrutvā hanūmato vākyaṃ harīṇāṃ pravaro’ṅgadaḥ ||
Hearing Hanuman's words, Angada, foremost of the vanaras—
प्रत्युवाच प्रसन्नात्मा पिबन्तु हरयो मधु ।
pratyuvāca prasannātmā pibantu harayo madhu |
answered cheerfully, 'Let the vanaras drink the honey.
अवश्यं कृतकार्यस्य वाक्यं हनुमतो मया ॥
avaśyaṃ kṛtakāryasya vākyaṃ hanumato mayā ||
I must certainly honour the word of Hanuman, who has completed the task—
अकार्यमपि कर्तव्यं किमङ्गं पुनरीदृशम् ।
akāryamapi kartavyaṃ kimaṅgaṃ punarīdṛśam |
even if the action were improper; how much more in a matter like this!'
अङ्गदस्य मुखाच्छ्रुत्वा वचनं वानरर्षभाः ॥
aṅgadasya mukhācchrutvā vacanaṃ vānararṣabhāḥ ||
Hearing these words from Angada's mouth, the foremost vanaras—
साधु साध्विति संहृष्टा वानराः प्रत्यपूजयन् ।
sādhu sādhviti saṃhṛṣṭā vānarāḥ pratyapūjayan |
joyfully cried, 'Excellent! Excellent!'
पूजयित्वाङ्गदं सर्वे वानरा वानरर्षभम् ॥
pūjayitvāṅgadaṃ sarve vānarā vānararṣabham ||
All honoured Angada, their foremost vanara—
जग्मुर्मधुवनं यत्र नदीवेग इव द्रुमम् ।
jagmurmadhuvanaṃ yatra nadīvega iva drumam |
and rushed into Madhuvana like a river's current against a tree.
ते प्रविष्टा मधुवनं पालानाक्रम्य शक्तितः ॥
te praviṣṭā madhuvanaṃ pālānākramya śaktitaḥ ||
Entering the honey-grove, they overpowered its guards—
अतिसर्गाच्च पटवो दृष्ट्वा श्रुत्वा च मैथिलीम् ।
atisargācca paṭavo dṛṣṭvā śrutvā ca maithilīm |
emboldened by permission and by seeing or hearing of Maithili.
पपुः सर्वे मधु तदा रसवत् फलमाददुः ॥
papuḥ sarve madhu tadā rasavat phalamādaduḥ ||
They all drank honey and gathered juicy fruit.
उत्पत्य च ततः सर्वे वनपालान् समागतान् ।
utpatya ca tataḥ sarve vanapālān samāgatān |
They sprang upon the approaching forest guards,
ते ताडयन्तः शतशः सक्ता मधुवने तदा ॥
te tāḍayantaḥ śataśaḥ saktā madhuvane tadā ||
striking them by the hundreds while intent upon Madhuvana.
मधूनि द्रोणमात्राणि बाहुभिः परिगृह्य ते ।
madhūni droṇamātrāṇi bāhubhiḥ parigṛhya te |
Some vanaras held quantities of honey as large as a drona in their arms
पिबन्ति कपयः केचित् सङ्घशस्तत्र हृष्टवत् ॥
pibanti kapayaḥ kecit saṅghaśastatra hṛṣṭavat ||
and joyfully drank together in groups.
घ्नन्ति स्म सहिताः सर्वे भक्षयन्ति तथापरे ।
ghnanti sma sahitāḥ sarve bhakṣayanti tathāpare |
Some struck out together, while others ate;
केचित् पीत्वापविध्यन्ति मधूनि मधुपिङ्गलाः ॥
kecit pītvāpavidhyanti madhūni madhupiṅgalāḥ ||
some tawny vanaras drank and threw the remaining honey away.
मधूच्छिष्टेन केचिच्च जघ्नुरन्योन्यमुत्कटाः ।
madhūcchiṣṭena kecicca jaghnuranyonyamutkaṭāḥ |
Some boisterously struck one another with honeycomb remnants;
अपरे वृक्षमूलेषु शाखा गृह्य व्यवस्थिताः ॥
apare vṛkṣamūleṣu śākhā gṛhya vyavasthitāḥ ||
others stood at tree roots holding branches.
अत्यर्थं च मदग्लानाः पर्णान्यास्तीर्य शेरते ।
atyarthaṃ ca madaglānāḥ parṇānyāstīrya śerate |
Exhausted by extreme intoxication, some spread leaves and lay down;
उन्मत्तवेगाः प्लवगा मधुमत्ताश्च हृष्टवत् ॥
unmattavegāḥ plavagā madhumattāśca hṛṣṭavat ||
others, drunk on honey, moved about with frantic delight.
क्षिपन्त्यपि तथान्योन्यं स्खलन्ति च तथापरे ।
kṣipantyapi tathānyonyaṃ skhalanti ca tathāpare |
Some hurled one another about, while others stumbled;
केचित् क्ष्वेडान् प्रकुर्वन्ति केचित् कूजन्ति हृष्टवत् ॥
kecit kṣveḍān prakurvanti kecit kūjanti hṛṣṭavat ||
some whistled and others called out joyfully.
हरयो मधुना मत्ताः केचित् सुप्ता महीतले ।
harayo madhunā mattāḥ kecit suptā mahītale |
Some honey-intoxicated vanaras slept on the ground;
धृष्टाः केचिद्धसन्त्यन्ये केचित् कुर्वन्ति चेतरत् ॥
dhṛṣṭāḥ keciddhasantyanye kecit kurvanti cetarat ||
some behaved boldly, others laughed, and others did something else entirely.
कृत्वा केचिद् वदन्त्यन्ये केचिद् बुध्यन्ति चेतरत् ।
kṛtvā kecid vadantyanye kecid budhyanti cetarat |
Some acted, others spoke, and others understood something different.
येऽप्यत्र मधुपालाः स्युः प्रेष्या दधिमुखस्य तु ॥
ye’pyatra madhupālāḥ syuḥ preṣyā dadhimukhasya tu ||
Even the honey-guards, the servants of Dadhimukha—
तेऽपि तैर्वानरैर्भीमैः प्रतिषिद्धा दिशो गताः ।
te’pi tairvānarairbhīmaiḥ pratiṣiddhā diśo gatāḥ |
were driven away in every direction by the fierce vanaras,
जानुभिश्च प्रघृष्टाश्च देवमार्गं च दर्शिताः ॥
jānubhiśca praghṛṣṭāśca devamārgaṃ ca darśitāḥ ||
struck with knees and thrown upwards towards the sky.
अब्रुवन् परमोद्विग्ना गत्वा दधिमुखं वचः ।
abruvan paramodvignā gatvā dadhimukhaṃ vacaḥ |
Deeply distressed, they went to Dadhimukha and said,
हनूमता दत्तवरैर्हतं मधुवनं बलात् ।
hanūmatā dattavarairhataṃ madhuvanaṃ balāt |
'Those given leave by Hanuman have forcibly ruined Madhuvana;
वयं च जानुभिर्घृष्टा देवमार्गं च दर्शिताः ॥
vayaṃ ca jānubhirghṛṣṭā devamārgaṃ ca darśitāḥ ||
we were struck with knees and hurled upwards.'
तदा दधिमुखः क्रुद्धो वनपस्तत्र वानरः ।
tadā dadhimukhaḥ kruddho vanapastatra vānaraḥ |
Hearing that Madhuvana was damaged, its guardian Dadhimukha
हतं मधुवनं श्रुत्वा सान्त्वयामास तान् हरीन् ॥
hataṃ madhuvanaṃ śrutvā sāntvayāmāsa tān harīn ||
grew angry and reassured those vanaras.
एतागच्छत गच्छामो वानरानतिदर्पितान् ।
etāgacchata gacchāmo vānarānatidarpitān |
'Come, let us go! I shall forcibly restrain
बलेनावारयिष्यामि प्रभुञ्जानान् मधूत्तमम् ॥
balenāvārayiṣyāmi prabhuñjānān madhūttamam ||
those arrogant vanaras who are consuming the finest honey.'
श्रुत्वा दधिमुखस्येदं वचनं वानरर्षभाः ।
śrutvā dadhimukhasyedaṃ vacanaṃ vānararṣabhāḥ |
Hearing Dadhimukha's words, those brave foremost vanaras
पुनर्वीरा मधुवनं तेनैव सहिता ययुः ॥
punarvīrā madhuvanaṃ tenaiva sahitā yayuḥ ||
returned with him to Madhuvana.
मध्ये चैषां दधिमुखः सुप्रगृह्य महातरुम् ।
madhye caiṣāṃ dadhimukhaḥ supragṛhya mahātarum |
Dadhimukha stood among them holding a great tree firmly,
समभ्यधावन् वेगेन सर्वे ते च प्लवंगमाः ॥
samabhyadhāvan vegena sarve te ca plavaṃgamāḥ ||
and all those vanaras rushed forward at speed.
ते शिलाः पादपांश्चैव पाषाणानपि वानराः ।
te śilāḥ pādapāṃścaiva pāṣāṇānapi vānarāḥ |
Taking rocks, trees and stones, the angry vanaras
गृहीत्वाभ्यागमन् क्रुद्धा यत्र ते कपिकुञ्जराः ॥
gṛhītvābhyāgaman kruddhā yatra te kapikuñjarāḥ ||
approached the place where the foremost revelers stood.
बलान्निवारयन्तश्च आसेदुर्हरयो हरीन् ।
balānnivārayantaśca āsedurharayo harīn |
They advanced upon the other vanaras to restrain them forcibly,
संदष्टौष्ठपुटाः क्रुद्धा भर्त्सयन्तो मुहुर्मुहुः ॥
saṃdaṣṭauṣṭhapuṭāḥ kruddhā bhartsayanto muhurmuhuḥ ||
biting their lips in anger and repeatedly threatening them.
अथ दृष्ट्वा दधिमुखं क्रुद्धं वानरपुङ्गवाः ।
atha dṛṣṭvā dadhimukhaṃ kruddhaṃ vānarapuṅgavāḥ |
Seeing Dadhimukha angry, the foremost vanaras,
अभ्यधावन्त वेगेन हनुमत्प्रमुखास्तदा ॥
abhyadhāvanta vegena hanumatpramukhāstadā ||
led by Hanuman, rushed rapidly towards him.
सवृक्षं तं महाबाहुमापतन्तं महाबलम् ।
savṛkṣaṃ taṃ mahābāhumāpatantaṃ mahābalam |
As the mighty, strong-armed guardian charged with his tree,
वेगवन्तं विजग्राह बाहुभ्यां कुपितोऽङ्गदः ॥
vegavantaṃ vijagrāha bāhubhyāṃ kupito’ṅgadaḥ ||
angry Angada seized him in both arms.
मदान्धो न कृपां चक्रे आर्यकोऽयं ममेति सः ।
madāndho na kṛpāṃ cakre āryako’yaṃ mameti saḥ |
Blinded by intoxication, he showed no consideration that this was his elder kinsman;
अथैनं निष्पिपेषाशु वेगेन वसुधातले ॥
athainaṃ niṣpipeṣāśu vegena vasudhātale ||
he quickly dashed him against the ground with force.
स भग्नबाहूरुमुखो विह्वलः शोणितोक्षितः ।
sa bhagnabāhūrumukho vihvalaḥ śoṇitokṣitaḥ |
His arms, thighs and face injured, distressed and covered in blood,
प्रमुमोह महावीरो मुहूर्तं कपिकुञ्जरः ॥
pramumoha mahāvīro muhūrtaṃ kapikuñjaraḥ ||
that mighty foremost vanara lost consciousness for a while.
स कथंचिद् विमुक्तस्तैर्वानरैर्वानरर्षभः ।
sa kathaṃcid vimuktastairvānarairvānararṣabhaḥ |
Somehow freed from those vanaras, the foremost guardian
उवाचैकान्तमागत्य स्वान् भृत्यान् समुपागतान् ॥
uvācaikāntamāgatya svān bhṛtyān samupāgatān ||
withdrew and spoke to his servants who gathered around him.
एतागच्छत गच्छामो भर्ता नो यत्र वानरः ।
etāgacchata gacchāmo bhartā no yatra vānaraḥ |
'Come, let us go where our broad-necked vanara lord
सुग्रीवो विपुलग्रीवः सह रामेण तिष्ठति ॥
sugrīvo vipulagrīvaḥ saha rāmeṇa tiṣṭhati ||
Sugriva is staying with Rama.
सर्वं चैवाङ्गदे दोषं श्रावयिष्याम पार्थिवे ।
sarvaṃ caivāṅgade doṣaṃ śrāvayiṣyāma pārthive |
We shall tell the king all of Angada's wrongdoing.
अमर्षी वचनं श्रुत्वा घातयिष्यति वानरान् ॥
amarṣī vacanaṃ śrutvā ghātayiṣyati vānarān ||
Hearing it, the intolerant king will order these vanaras killed.
इष्टं मधुवनं ह्येतत् सुग्रीवस्य महात्मनः ।
iṣṭaṃ madhuvanaṃ hyetat sugrīvasya mahātmanaḥ |
This divine Madhuvana is dear to noble Sugriva,
पितृपैतामहं दिव्यं देवैरपि दुरासदम् ॥
pitṛpaitāmahaṃ divyaṃ devairapi durāsadam ||
inherited from his fathers and forefathers and difficult even for gods to approach.
स वानरानिमान् सर्वान् मधुलुब्धान् गतायुषः ।
sa vānarānimān sarvān madhulubdhān gatāyuṣaḥ |
Sugriva will punish to death all these honey-greedy vanaras,
घातयिष्यति दण्डेन सुग्रीवः ससुहृज्जनान् ॥
ghātayiṣyati daṇḍena sugrīvaḥ sasuhṛjjanān ||
together with their companions, whose lives are now forfeit.
वध्या ह्येते दुरात्मानो नृपाज्ञापरिपन्थिनः ।
vadhyā hyete durātmāno nṛpājñāparipanthinaḥ |
These wicked opponents of the king's command deserve death;
अमर्षप्रभवो रोषः सफलो मे भविष्यति ॥
amarṣaprabhavo roṣaḥ saphalo me bhaviṣyati ||
my anger, born from indignation, will then bear fruit.'
एवमुक्त्वा दधिमुखो वनपालान् महाबलः ।
evamuktvā dadhimukho vanapālān mahābalaḥ |
Having spoken thus to the forest guards, mighty Dadhimukha
जगाम सहसोत्पत्य वनपालैः समन्वितः ॥
jagāma sahasotpatya vanapālaiḥ samanvitaḥ ||
suddenly sprang up and departed with them.
निमेषान्तरमात्रेण स हि प्राप्तो वनालयः ।
nimeṣāntaramātreṇa sa hi prāpto vanālayaḥ |
In barely the interval of a blink, the forest-dweller arrived
सहस्रांशुसुतो धीमान् सुग्रीवो यत्र वानरः ॥
sahasrāṃśusuto dhīmān sugrīvo yatra vānaraḥ ||
where wise Sugriva, son of the thousand-rayed Sun, was staying.
रामं च लक्ष्मणं चैव दृष्ट्वा सुग्रीवमेव च ।
rāmaṃ ca lakṣmaṇaṃ caiva dṛṣṭvā sugrīvameva ca |
Seeing Rama, Lakshmana and Sugriva,
समप्रतिष्ठां जगतीमाकाशान्निपपात ह ॥
samapratiṣṭhāṃ jagatīmākāśānnipapāta ha ||
he descended from the sky onto level ground.
स निपत्य महावीरः सर्वैस्तैः परिवारितः ।
sa nipatya mahāvīraḥ sarvaistaiḥ parivāritaḥ |
Dadhimukha, the mighty vanara and chief of the guardians,
हरिर्दधिमुखः पालैः पालानां परमेश्वरः ॥
harirdadhimukhaḥ pālaiḥ pālānāṃ parameśvaraḥ ||
alighted surrounded by all those forest guards.
स दीनवदनो भूत्वा कृत्वा शिरसि चाञ्जलिम् ।
sa dīnavadano bhūtvā kṛtvā śirasi cāñjalim |
With a sorrowful face and joined hands raised above his head,
सुग्रीवस्याशु तौ मूर्ध्ना चरणौ प्रत्यपीडयत् ॥
sugrīvasyāśu tau mūrdhnā caraṇau pratyapīḍayat ||
he quickly pressed his head against Sugriva's feet.
CHAPTER 62 COMPLETE
Dadhimukha has bowed before Sugriva, ready to explain the damage and assaults.
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Sundara Kanda, chapter 62. This reading follows Sanskrit Wikisource revision 355612, with all 38 numbered verses. Verse divisions and wording vary between editions.
The Sanskrit is preserved with normalized display spacing and line breaks. Some sentences continue across verse boundaries; the English follows that continuity. A yojana is a traditional distance unit, retained without assigning a modern measurement. Shape-changing and celestial beings belong to the epic’s sacred narrative.
English line senses and short meanings are original AI-assisted DHIH renderings checked against this Sanskrit reading; they are not a word-for-word grammatical commentary or a claim of human scholarly certification. Roman transliteration is generated mechanically in IAST. Names may also appear in familiar English spellings.
Sanskrit transcription credit: Wikisource contributors, revision history. The adapted reading text and DHIH English on this chapter page are offered under CC BY-SA 4.0. The ancient Sanskrit work is in the public domain. Illustrations are separately commissioned AI-generated DHIH artwork.
Historical comparison: M. N. Dutt’s Ramayana, volume II, a public-domain translation, was consulted for narrative context. The English displayed here is a fresh rendering of the pinned Sanskrit, not a reproduction of that translation.
The chapter describes intoxication, physical assaults and angry demands for punishment. It is a complete epic reading rather than a simplified moral tale for young children. Audio will be added only when suitable recording permissions are available.